How to wear glitter this party season: on your lips, eyes and nails

Complete with DIY tricks and a shopping list

What if it spreads all over my face? Will I look like a disco ball? What if it never comes off? Will I have to not drink or eat all night? Glitter, the most ubiquitous party trend this year, could also be the trickiest to wear.

But then Rihanna drops her limited edition out-of-this-world glitter lipstick as part of her Fenty Beauty line, and you start dreaming again. Follow our handy guide to make your glittering dream come true; and how to take it off right. Plus, a selection of our favourite shiny things, so you don’t have to DIY anymore.

GLITTER ON YOUR LIPS

Start by prepping your lips. It’s very important to ensure your skin is smooth so it can take (and keep on) all that shine and have it on for a long time. Use a lip scrub and slough off all the flakiness.

Follow with a super hydrating lip treatment, one that will make your lips soft and supple. Now wait.

Fill your lips entirely with a lip liner that is similar to the shade of your glitter stick. Start by tracing your lip shape from the centre out and then fill your pout.

Now, apply a translucent loose powder using a fluffy brush for its reflective properties. Simply tap the brush over your lips to create a light veil.

Apply sparkling lipstick all over, starting from the cupid’s bow and going outward. Set with powder.

GLITTER ON THE EYESChoose sapphire as your go-to colour. Wear it mixed in with your usual smoky eye. “Sapphire is the ultimate burst of colour,” says Mumbai-based celebrity makeup artist Mitali Vakil. “It’s a misconception that it doesn’t work on our skin tone—when you add it to a traditional grey or black smoky eye, it makes magic.” Here’s her fail-safe tutorial:

Don’t use your fingers to deposit the glitter—it will fly everywhere. Use a brush instead; the glitter flecks will stick to the bristles for precise application.

GLITTER ON THE LASHESGive your eyelashes a sparkly, silvery update. If you thought doing this is a bit too risky, think again. The minimalist way to get sparkling lashes is by picking a colour that’s not too jarring—like silver. It’ll reflect and shine without being in your face. And you don’t have to go all the way. Trick: Use a liquid glitter eyeliner to paint the lash tips. It’s that simple.

GLITTER ON THE NAILSGive an update to regular shimmer nails and try glitter cuticles. Here’s how:

Using a thin, detailed brush, draw a neat line of gold glitter around the cuticles, keeping the lacquer on the skin.

Skip the topcoat.

Since we’ve given you all the tricks to make it last, it’s wrong not to tell you how to remove it right. Because you need to go to bed eventually.

HOW TO TAKE GLITTER OFFYou’ll need scotch tape, oil-based liquid makeup remover and cotton pads. Freeze—before you reach for the makeup remover, first use tape to lift off the glitter layer by layer until you’re left with just a few of the reflective pieces. Now go ahead and douse a cotton pad with the oil-based make-up remover and wipe off the rest of the glitter, gloss and lipstick.

LYN Nail Lacquer in A Thing for Bling

MAC Snowball Lipstick in Shimmer And Spice

Make Up For Ever Artist Shadow in Bleu

Maybelline New York Color Show Glitter Mania Bling on the Blue

NYX Cosmic Metals Lip Cream in Ultraviolet

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Sephora Glitter Eyeshadow in Pool Party

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Smashbox Be Legendary Liquid Metals in Crimson Chrome

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Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner

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Wet n Wild Glitter Single in Distortion

Haven’t been able to pick a concealer that matches your skin tone? Has your face been breaking out even when you don’t overload your skin with different products? We’re going back to basics with ‘Beauty 101’, our series that’ll be your complete guide to everything beauty